Bypolls results: Morale booster for Congress; opportunity for anti-BJP front

NEW DELHI: The results have come as a major morale booster for Congress in the middle of its attempts to find ways to hit the road to recovery after its May Lok Sabha rout. The serial bypoll victories will have multiple impacts: First, it will help the party to get over the post-LS defeatist attitude. Second, the poll-reversal has marred BJP’s projected ‘invincibility’ of the Modi factor.

Third, it could lead to larger unity of anti-BJP forces in next year’s elections in Bihar, battle for Bengal and the early 2017 mega electoral war in UP. AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said, “BJP’s attempt to create communal tension under the leadership of Modi’s lieutenants Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath has been rejected by the people”. He claimed “NDA government has come under anti-incumbency burden within just 100 days”.

Scoffing at the spin by a section of media that ‘Rahul Gandhi not campaigning might have helped the party’, Ahmad said: “Gandhis have never campaigned in bypolls” and indicated the Congress president and Rahul would campaign for the Maharashtra and Haryana polls. Before the bypoll the spin was, ‘Rahul not campaigning is clear indication of Congress fearing a major rout’.